Apparatus for feeding envelopes or the like from a stacked pile



Oct. 3, 1950 J. R. BAMBER 2,524,417

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ENVELOPES OR THE LIKE FROM A STACKED FILE FiledDec. 11, 1947 I121) 81272501 e]. R D ebmb er Patented Oct. 3, 19502,524,417 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ENVELOPES OR THE LIKE FROM A JohnRichard Bamber STACKED PILE London, England, assignor, by mesneassignments, to Unifold Mailing Machines Inc, Saginaw, Mich.

Application December 11 In Great Britain 1947, Serial No. 791,060 March13, 1946 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires March13, 1966 1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for feeding envelopes, documents andthe like from a stacked pile.

Apparatus of this kind are known in which the envelopes and the like arepiled up in a bottom" less holder wherein they are supported on twofixed ledges or the like provided along the lower edges of two oppositesides of the holder, the envelopes or the like being removed therefromby a friction operated mechanism and delivered to means for carryingthem away. It has also been proposed to support the pile of envelopes orthe like against removable supporting fingers and successively removethe envelopes or the like by suction nozzles pivotally mounted on adisplaceable shaft. The object of the present invention is to provide anapparatus of the kind referred to provided with suction nozzles and theconstruotion of which is substantially simplified as compared with theapparatus hitherto proposed.

The invention consists in an apparatus for feeding envelopes, documentsand the like from a pile comprising a bottomless holder for the saidpile having two fixed ledges or the like provided along the lower edgesof two opposite sides of the holder to support the pile, at least onesuction nozzle located underneath the pile, means for mechanicallyactuating the said nozzle in such a manner that it is first brought intocontact with the lowermost envelope and caused to grip the same bysuction, then moved rearwardly with respect to the direction in whichthe envelope is to be fed so as to disengage the forward edge of theenvelope from the ledge or like support of the pile and then loweredaway from the bottom of the pile and moved forwardly so as to detach thelowermost envelope from the pile and deliver it and means for carryingaway the envelope that has been delivered, the said nozzle actuatingmeans including a transverse shaft to which the nozzle is secured andwhich runs parallel to the said ledges, two pivoted arms arranged atright angles to and on either side of the said transverse shaft andhaving longitudinal slots into which engage the ends of the transverseshaft, a cross bar connecting together the free ends of the said pivotedarms, a rocking shaft arranged below the slotted arms and two rockinglevers secured at one end to the said rocking shaft and having forks attheir free end engaging with the transverse shaft to which the nozzle issecured.

Referring to the accompanying drawing showing the apparatus in partsectional elevation, a pile of envelopes or the like I) are stacked inthe holder 8, bein supported therein on two ledges 49, 5|] which projectunder the opposite edges of the lowermost envelope in the pile, therebysupporting the stack whilst allowing free access to the under surface ofthe lowermost envelope. The ledges 49 and 50 extend transversely to thedirection in which the envelopes are to be fed from the bottom of thepile. The holder 8 may conveniently be open at its upper end so thatfresh envelopes can be added to the pile for the purpose of replenishingthe same when necessary by simply dropping the envelopes on to the topof the pile. Mounted below the holder 8 is a pneumatic suction nozzle5|, attached to a shaft 52 which extends horizontally beneath the pileof envelopes b in a direction parallel to the ledges 49 and 50. Ifdesired two or more such nozzles 5| may be mounted on the shaft 52. Thelatter shaft is fixed at its ends to two slides which are mounted tomove in slots 01' slideways formed in two arms extending approximatelyhorizon-- tally below the pile of envelopes and on either side at rightangles to the shaft 52. One of these arms is shown at 53. The two armsare attached together at their rear ends by means of a cross bar 54 andare supported on pivots at their forward ends, the pivots being attachedto fixed supports 55. The arms 53 are rocked by means of a cam or likemechanism (not shown) so as to raise the nozzle or nozzles 5|sufficiently to bring them into engagement with the lowermost envelopein the stack of envelopes, to dwell in this position for a short timeand then to lower the nozzle or nozzles and to dwell in the lowerposition, this cycle of movement of the arms being regularly repeated.

The movement of the slides in the slots or slideways in the arms 53 iscontrolled by a pair of levers 56 each of which is fixed at one end to arock shaft 51 mounted below the arms 53. The levers 56 are in alignmentwith one another so that only one of them is seen in the drawing. Thefree end of each lever 56 is provided with a fork 58 which embraces theshaft 52, the fork being so designed as to accommodate the raising andlowering movement controlled by the arms 53, whilst allowing the lever56 to control the movement of the shaft in the direction of the slots inthe arms 53. The rock shaft 51 is mechanically actuated by a cam or thelike (not shown) so that during the dwell at the lower end of therocking movement of the arms 53 the shaft 52 is moved forwardly and thenpartially retracted to a position intermediate its extreme forward andrear positions, where it pauses whilst the arms 53 receive their upwardmovement. During the dwell at the upper end of the movement of the arms53, the rock shaft completes its rearward movement along the slots orslideways in the arms 53 and then after the arms have again moveddownwards, recommences its forward movement at the start of the nextcycle of operations.

Suitable means is provided for establishing suction at the nozzle ornozzles 5| at or just before the end of each upward movement of the arms53 and for releasing the suction at the end of each forward movement ofthe shaft 52 along the slots or slideways in the arms 53. A pair of feedrollers 59, 6B or other gripping means are provided to receive theenvelopes from the nozzle or nozzles and to carry them away.

In the operation of the mechanism the holder 8 is kept supplied withenvelopes by depositing additional ones on the top of the pile as andwhen required. During each cycle of operation of the mechanism thesuction nozzle or nozzles 5| move rearwardly beneath the pile until theyreach the position shown in full lines in the drawing, being then liftedby the upward movement of the arms 53 to the position shown in dottedlines. The nozzles are thus brought into engagement with the lowersurface of the lowermost envelope, whereupon they grip the same bysuction. The continued rearward movement of the suctiton nozzle ornozzles then moves the lowermost envelope rearwardly so as to disengageits forward edge from the supporting ledge 55. During this action thenozzles move to the position marked y and the portion of the lowermostenvelope which lies between the nozzle or nozzles and the ledge 49 isbuckled as indicated by the broken line 2. The envelope is thus partlyseparated from the pile. The nozzle or nozzles now move downwards so asto detach the envelope from the pile and then move forwards so that therear edge of the envelope is withdrawn from the ledge 49 and theenvelope is fed forward and delivered to the gripping rollers 59, 6B forcarrying it away, and delivering it on to the table I. The grippingrollers are arranged to receive the envelope from the suction nozzle ornozzles when the latter reach the position marked q and the mechanismcontrolling the supply of suction to the nozzles is arranged to releasethe suction when the nozzles reach this position so that the envelope isfreed therefrom.

I claim:

Apparatus for feeding envelopes, documents and the like from a pilecomprising a bottomless holder for the said pile having two fixed ledgesor the like provided along the lower edges of two opposite sides of theholder to support the pile, at least one suction nozzle locatedunderneath the pile, means for mechanically actuating the said nozzle insuch a manner that it is first brought into contact with the lowermostenvelope and caused to grip the same by suction, then moved rearwardlywith respect to the direction in which the envelope is to be fed so asto disengage the forward edge of the envelope from the ledge or likesupport of the pile and then lowered away from the bottom of the pileand moved forwardly so as to detach the lowermost envelope from the pileand deliver it and means for carrying away the envelope that has beendelivered, the said nozzle actuating means including a transverse shaftto which the nozzle is secured and which runs parallel to the saidledges, two pivoted arms arranged at right angles to and on either sideof the said transverse shaft and havin longitudinal slots into whichengage the ends of the transverse shaft, a cross bar connecting togetherthe free ends of the said pivoted arms, a rocking shaft arranged belowthe slotted arms and two rockin levers secured at one end to the saidrocking shaft and having forks at their free end engaging with thetransverse shaft to which the nozzle is secured.

JOHN RICHARD BAMBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the

